Belonging
by KooshGID
Summary: Claudia gets a chance to prove she belongs on the team, but she might be in way over her head on this one. Will the others be able to get to her in time?
1. Chapter 1

The feeling of belonging is like nothing Claudia could describe. Her whole life the only person she had ever felt she belonged with was her brother and when he left, for a second time, well that left Artie. Artie was the closest thing she had to a father and therefore she wanted nothing more than to please him.

Yet it seemed like nothing she did caused him anything but grief, he was stuck in the past and her trying to bring him to the twenty first century just seemed to annoy him and occasionally resulted in an accidental artifact reanimation. Even thought her calculations were usually correct, he was still more likely to ignore her advice until Myka, Leena or Pete could convince him otherwise. So when Artie asked her to look into a lead Claudia knew it was her chance to prove herself worthy of this family she had found at the Warehouse.

Knowing that Artie had only asked her to check out this lead because he didn't think it would pan out and didn't want to waste Pete and Myka's time, Claudia was even more excited since her research seemed to indicate that it would actually lead to a viable suspect. She could already imagine how impressed Artie would be if she managed to find a clue that would help them solve this case. Maybe she would finally become an official junior agent. Claudia walked up the long path to the Victorian house with shutters drawn and no lights on that she could see. "Creepy" she muttered to herself as she stepped over broken boards on the steps. She knocked twice not expecting an answer so she jumped a little in surprise when the door swung open to reveal a young, good looking, man neatly dressed in a polo and jeans.

"Woah, O.C." Claudia mumbled. "I beg your pardon" said the young man. "No, I mean, sorry ...ah ...I'm Claudia Donovan and I'm doing a story for the local paper on ...um...historic buildings in the town and I was wondering if you could tell me anything about your house or you know any _special_ objects that may be in it from previous owners". "I'd love to, why don't you come in" the young man stepped aside to let Claudia pass. She didn't notice the bolt latch as he shut the door and ushered her into his sitting room.

Pete and Myka had followed Artie's instructions and were checking out the last two places that artifact activity had been observed. So far they hadn't found any evidence indicating why these locations and people had been targeted. The house was decorated sparsely and Pete's attention was drawn to the framed photographs placed among the bookshelves. "Myka take a look at this" Pete held in his outstretched hand a photo of a young man standing next to the owner of the house who had been the unsuspecting victim of the artifact. "I recognize this guy, there was a photo of him at the last house too," Myka said as she took a closer look at the photo, "in it he was with the owner of that house as well. Let's take this photo back to the Warehouse and see if Claudia can get us an id."

"Artie where's Claudia? We found a picture of a possible suspect and we wanted to see if she can id him for us". "I sent Claudia to research one of her crazy ideas to keep her happy, and out of my way. Let me see what I can do for you." Artie's face fell when he saw the framed picture Myka handed to him. "What is this?" he asked gruffly. Pete grinned and said smugly "We told you Artie. This guy has a connection to both crime scenes. We finally got a lead."

"This is the guy I sent Claudia to interview." The words left Artie's lips and Pete's grin disappeared immediately as Myka let out a gasp. "Artie, this is bad. Claudia only knows a few very basic defensive moves. We haven't had time to work on anything more than a face to face assault" said Myka grabbing her jacket and heading for the door. "She's tough though...she'll be ok" Pete said solemnly, more for himself than anyone else.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N – So very sorry for the delay I was in Europe sans internet connection. Also school and work are starting back up so please expect a slow development to this story. Thanks for the very helpful and amazing reviews.**

Stepping through the front entry Claudia mentally smacked herself in the forehead as she saw just how many items in this man's house were possible artifacts. She had thought coming here she would somehow be able to tell if this guy was the one using the artifact, but so far he just seemed like a harmless lonely guy with a lot of old and random stuff. Her eyes drifted about the room, mentally cataloging the numerous items with artifact potential, as she asked his name. She already knew that it was Tom Baker and that he was 32 years old with perfect teeth thanks to two and a half years with braces, but it was important that she not creep him out by knowing too much about him, yet.

Claudia's Farnsworth blared from the pocket of her jacket and she jumped and hurriedly tried to silence the cranky device. "Sorry, it's a pretty old phone and I can't seem to change the ringtone" she covered. In her haste to retrieve the noisy device she didn't notice that Tom had been watching her observing their surroundings nor that he had a concerned look on his face when the Farnsworth sounded.

When Claudia finally managed to wrestle the Farnsworth into silence, without removing it from her pocket and blowing her cover, she looked up to find Tom had vanished. "What the ..." Suddenly a hand covered her mouth and nose and she struggled to overpower the man that had cut off her air supply. She tried to elbow his gut but she felt a sharp pain in her neck and all her strength seemed to drain away. She struggled more against his grip without success. Her head felt heavy and her vision was blurred. Her limbs weighed a hundred pounds and she just wanted to lie down.

Claudia collapsed into Tom's arms and he dragged her limp body through the door to his basement, down a flight of stairs where her feet banged solidly against each of the twelve stairs, before he tossed her into the corner of the room.

"She's not answering her Farnsworth and she's not answering the cellphone I got for her either" Artie's concern caused his voice to crack slightly and Pete and Myka glanced worriedly at each other. "It doesn't mean anything, she might just be really busy" Myka attempted "Yeah, maybe she's too busy tying him up" Pete grinned picturing it, but his happiness only lasted a fraction of a second as he considered the likelihood of an unsuspecting young girl like Claudia overpowering a guy like Tom Baker.

Myka, normally a cautious driver, was already doing a good twenty over the limit and now that they couldn't reach Claudia Pete noticed the red needle edging higher. Not that he cared, he only hoped that it would be fast enough.

Claudia's eyelids seemed to weigh a ton and she struggled to open them halfway. What she could make out was blurry and gray. Her head was pounding and as she lifted her hand to hold her head she felt a sharp painful tug on her wrist pulling her arm back down to her side. Reaching with her other hand she felt the same pull holding her back. As her eyes adjusted and the drug wore off a little, Claudia realized that she was being held in some sort of basement, likely in the house she had visited, and that she was chained by her hands and feet to the concrete wall.

As she adjusted her position she felt stabbing pains from her feet and she looked down. Her ankles felt bruised and were definitely swollen. Assessing the rest of her situation she realized that other than the residual fog of whatever Tom had used to drug her she was relatively unharmed. The only problem was she wasn't sure how well she'd be able to walk, and she had to find a way out of here. I mean who knew what this creepy weirdo was planning and Claudia needed to warn Pete and Myka.

Examining the shackles binding her Claudia scoffed at how easy they would be to pick...with the right supplies. However, even with her hands outstretched, the shackles cutting the pale delicate skin of her wrists, all Claudia could reach was a box of old records. She dragged them close enough to flip through. "I can't believe a twisted freak like this guy has such great taste in music" she said as she skimmed over records the likes of Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Hole, Nirvana and so much more. Not that it would do her any good. She felt around the bottom of the box but there wasn't even a bobby pin to help her. Just as she was about to give up she remembered how heavy records are. In fact, most boxes break if you try to carry too many records in them. Wondering how he could possibly have so many records in one box she spilled out it's contents and flipped the box over. Sure enough it was reinforced with heavy duty staples.

Prying out some staples, Claudia began to pick the locks. The hard edges were sharp and the staples often stabbed into her fingers causing them to bleed. Hearing noises from upstairs she tried to work faster. The short staples did not make ideal picks and she found herself dropping them often. Finally, after jiggling the locks for what seemed like forever, Claudia heard the familiar click and her left shackle slid to the floor. Encouraged by her success, the second cuff took only moments and she moved on to her ankles.

Free from her bindings Claudia reached for her Farnsworth with her bloodied hands and was disappointed, but not surprised, that Tom had taken it along with anything else potentially useful she had in her pockets. With no way of reaching anyone from the Warehouse, Claudia had no choice but to try to escape on her own.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N – Thanks for all the great reviews. I know it takes me a while to get these chapters up. Really sorry. Promise this isn't the end but I have only just started writing the next chapter. Enjoy!**

Barely stopping the vehicle, Myka, Pete and Artie jumped out and ran towards the decrepit building they believed their young friend was stuck in. "How should we play this, I mean we don't even know if he's on to Claudia yet and us going in guns blazing could put her in the middle of a dangerous situation." "Myka's right, my gut is telling me that we have to go in soft but be ready for anything" Pete said, checking the charge on his Tesla and tucking it safely out of site.

Walking up the path to the old house, Artie, Pete and Myka pulled out their IRS badges as cover, knowing full well and not caring that no one in their right mind would believe that it takes three IRS agents to ask some "routine follow up" questions. Myka knocked firmly on the door, only her eyes revealed the fear she truly felt. Within the last year Claudia had become the little sister Myka had never had and although exasperating she secretly loved watching the way Pete and Claudia interact during their childish antics. She knew this must be killing Pete, protective by nature, Pete often felt a great sense of responsibility for the other members of his team, but with Claudia it is so much more. Her often forgotten young age, and the way she just stumbled into this life meant that she truly needed their protection no matter how hard she tries to be like them.

Claudia forced herself to stand, grimacing at the effort, and she walked slowly and painfully to the long set of dark stairs. Crawling on her knees to protect her ankles, Claudia pulled herself to the top of the stairs and slowly turned the doorknob. "You've got to be frickin' kidding me!"

After waiting for what felt like way to long with Claudia in trouble, but was actually only ten seconds, Pete knocked on the door forcefully. He raised his fist to pound again when Artie asked if anyone else smelled smoke. Looking through the living room window they saw the worst sight possible. The fire was completely surrounding a closed door and was quickly spreading throughout the entire first floor.

Pete's face hardened, he walked over and kicked the front door with all his might and then he did it again, and again and again, until the door splintered and burst open. Without a second thought Pete ran into the burning building and headed straight for the door surrounded by flames.

As Claudia opened the door the wall of flames flew towards her and searing heat washed over her. Flying backwards, she fell down the flight of stairs her head smacking solidly against the edge of one of the stairs. Her body stopped, unconscious, at the bottom of the stairs as the fire slowly spread to the wood of the stairs.

Pete covered his face with the crook of his elbow, but the smoke engulfing the room made his eyes sting. Tears burning at the corner of his eyes he made it to the open door and saw Claudia's petite frame lying at the bottom of the stairs and his heart dropped. "Claudia, can you hear me? I'm coming!" he shouted, which caused him to cough. His lungs burned and the flames from the stairs licked at his ankles, but adrenaline was fueling him now so he felt nothing. He ran down the stairs and scooped Claudia in his arms, slowing only to make sure her face was pressed into his shirt to protect her from any more smoke inhalation.

The stairs were completely covered in flames and Pete knew there was no way he could make it through. He was already having trouble breathing and feeling light-headed, it was going to be a struggle to stay conscious and that was if the adrenaline kept preventing him from noticing the burns that now covered his body.

Looking around the dark basement, Pete hoped for a sliver of light that would indicate another exit. Dismayed, he was about to try making his way up the stairs when he heard Myka yell his name.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N – I'm really sorry for the long pauses. School has me really busy, but I hope this will help keep you guys satisfied until I can wrap this up. Thanks for all your kind words.**

"Pete!, Pete! Are you down here? Did you find her?" Pete looked around expectantly but couldn't see Myka. All of a sudden he heard metal hitting metal and Myka swung open a heavy cellar door. The light and fresh air poured in and Pete sighed in relief. "Myka thank god! The fire is everywhere!"

When Myka's eyes adjusted to the darkness the sight of Claudia in Pete's burnt arms made her wish they hadn't. "Follow me!" Myka helped Pete out of the cellar and in to the fresh air. Pete stumbled as the weight of Claudia started to hit him, the adrenaline that had coursed through his veins was fading as the danger became less. Suddenly, Pete collapsed, landing on Claudia. Artie ran forward, tears streaming down his face as he assessed the bleeding, burnt limbs that lay tangled on the ground. He had already called for an ambulance so all they could do now was wait. Artie sat in silence with Claudia's head in his lap, stroking her hair and Myka sat in a similar position supporting Pete's weakened frame.

Claudia's eyes felt heavy. She tried several times to open them but they would just flicker and close again. Sounds began drifting in. She heard voices and then she recognized them. Artie was berating the doctor for not having enough information and Myka was trying to calm him. They continued to speak, but Claudia couldn't hear Pete. It wasn't like him to not put his two cents in. Claudia forced her eyes open and the sight before her eyes made her want to cry. Pete was asleep in the chair next to her bedside, but he looked like he should be in his own bed and hooked up to every machine possible. Artie noticed Claudia's open eyes and swooped to her side, dancing from foot to foot muttering, but what it was he muttered she didn't know because her head was hurting too much to make the effort to decipher. Myka, much better in crisis, took her hand and asked if Claudia knew where she was. Claudia opened her mouth to reply and a sudden burning sensation in her throat stopped anything more than "unnh" from escaping.

"Don't worry sweetie, you're suffering from smoke inhalation. Your lungs and esophagus were damaged, but you should feel better in a few days." Myka handed her a whiteboard to write with and she placed a purple marker in her hand. Claudia smiled knowing that her favourite colour is hard to find in whiteboard markers. Her smile faded when she saw the hand that held the marker. It was hard to believe that it was the same hand she'd had her whole life. Every finger had cuts and burns covered in sterile white bandages. She couldn't bend her fingers for all the bandaging so her first few efforts at writing looked worse than the so-called artwork she used to present Joshua with before their parents had died.

_Is he okay?_

"He'll be fine. He insisted on staying by your side even though the doctors didn't want him too. Ms. Frederic came by to check on you two though and then the problem seemed to disappear", the way Myka smiled crookedly as she said this was enough to make Claudia laugh. Unfortunately that meant that pain shot through almost every part of her body. The smothered cry of pain was enough to wake Pete who reached out immediately and squeezed her hand.


	5. Chapter 5

Pete's touch was more comforting that Claudia could have imagined. Being surrounded by these people that cared, it was something Claudia hadn't felt since before Joshua had disappeared.

She heard the voices in the hallway lower and figured Artie had gotten his way on whatever it was he was fighting for. A few seconds later, Artie joined the makeshift family gathered in Claudia's room. As his gaze fell upon the closest thing he would ever have to a daughter, Artie faltered. He was holding it together the best he could, but she had nearly died. Seeing the bandages and how frail Claudia looked was almost more than he could handle. Luckily, just when he thought he would break, Claudia turned her whiteboard towards him and the scrawled message brought a smile to his face.

"_Knock, knock"_

Her humour in the face of what she had just been through was enough for him to keep it together and say what he had come in to say.

"_Ahem_, _now that you are feeling better I'd like you to meet someone."_

A young couple, in their mid-thirties to forties, came in the door to her room.

"_Claudia Donovan, meet Ellen and Parker Kessler. The Kessler's are from San Francisco and are looking to adopt a bright young girl like you._"

The second the words left his mouth Myka and an injured Pete had both leapt to their feet and Claudia shot upright in bed and garbled something unintelligible. The fast movement and attempt at communication sent another burst of searing pain throughout Claudia's body and she very nearly passed out. As she collapsed against the pillows, Artie could see the confusion and disappointment etched across her young features. He wanted to run to her and comfort her, but if he did he knew he would never be strong enough to do what needed to be done. No matter how much he loved her and wanted to be there for her, Artie knew that sometimes the most important thing you can do for someone is to let her go.

Artie silenced Myka and Pete with just a glance and explained to Claudia where she would be living and how they would all always be there for her no matter what. After a lot of discussion, Myka and Pete eventually conceded that Claudia would be better off and since she was having trouble keeping her eyes open they all decided it would be best to let her rest until tomorrow.

A few hours later Claudia opened her eyes and was surrounded by darkness. At first she wasn't sure what had woken her up, but then she saw Mrs. Frederick standing at the foot of her bed.

"_Ah Miss Donovan, I'm so glad you are better. I came here to say goodbye. It has been a pleasure working with you, and I'm sure our paths will cross again._"


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's note: I apologize for the long, long, long time since my last post. Many people comment that they wished for an ending. Unfortunately there is more to this story and it is going to end on a cliffhanger, but hopefully this gives it a bit more closure.**

**Orangebean1 – I hope this resolves your confusion about the adoption (although adult adoption is possible and my sister was adopted as an adult).**

Claudia slowly opened her eyes and stared at the unfamiliar room around her, but as her eyes adjusted she realized it was just her room. The same room she's had since she was twelve when the Kessler's adopted her. The purple walls were covered with posters and her beat up guitar was lying across the armchair where she'd left it after a late night writing session.

Hearing her mom's footsteps in the kitchen and smelling the sweet aroma of coffee, Claudia leapt out of bed. Grabbing the cleanest clothes she could find on the floor of her room she rand into the bathroom and hopped in the shower. Once she was dressed she bounded down the stairs where her parents were kissing over the stove. "EWWW get a room you two" she mocked teasingly, secretly admiring how happy they were. "Oh Claudia, Joshua called and he is going to swing by and take you to school today" Ellen said grinning. She knew how excited Claudia would be to see her brother, as it wasn't often that he flew in from Sweden to visit.

Claudia could barely contain her excitement; she had only nibbled on a little bit of her breakfast when Joshua knocked on the door. She gave her parents each a peck on the cheek and went flying out the door so fast they barely had time to react. Claudia jumped on Joshua nearly barreling him down in the process. Luckily he had been expecting it so he gracefully swooped her into his arms and gave her a great big bear hug.

"Hey Claud, you ready for school?" Joshua said with a laugh. "Oh come on, it's just fractal geometry, Mechanics and Special Relativity and Medieval Latin today. I can miss those no problem. Can we go out instead?" He stared at her in wonder and laughed. She thought he was some amazing genius, but her intelligence and independence were a dangerous combination that he knew if applied properly, she would surpass him easily.

"Sure thing Claud, should we hit the new exhibit at the museum?"

"How do you even know about that, you live on a different continent?"

At the museum, Claudia was annoying the tour guide by knowing more about every piece than he did. She was in the middle of making him look like a fool when she stopped mid-sentence. Joshua followed her gaze but didn't know what she was looking at. All he saw was an old man in a baggy brown jacket wandering around muttering while waving his hands in the air. Nervously Joshua pulled Claudia closer and asked what was the matter. "Nothing he just seems so familiar. Never mind."

Claudia couldn't shake the feeling that she knew the guy with the bushy eyebrows, but she had no idea where she would've met the man. He wasn't a professor or guest lecturer at her university, but she felt as though she'd met him before. Josh's comment about the next piece snapped her out of her reverie and they continued through the museum with the strange man all but forgotten.


	7. Not a chapter - explanation

Not A Chapter

Just wanted to clarify: Some people are confused why Claudia and Joshua don't recognize Artie and why she has lived with her family for a while but hasn't aged. When Mrs Fredrick said goodbye to her I was implying that she was going to follow through with what they discussed when Claudia first came to the Warehouse (that she couldn't know about it and be on the outside). Therefore in this situation they have manipulated her memories. Claudia believes she was adopted after her parents passed away. She still sees her brother but they both have no knowledge of the Warehouse. Sorry for the confusion.


End file.
